Winx Club Infinite Loops
by DuchessFlamingChicken
Summary: World Tree Yggdrasil is broke. Time is Looping back on itself infinitely. Some people are aware of this, the Winx Club have been aware for a while now, these are the continued adventures of the Infinite Loops surrounding the Winx Club cast.
1. Foreword

_Previously: __**The Winx Club Infinite Loops**__ was Posted by __**Firehawk242**_

This follows on from that and if you haven't read that compilation yet, this one will make even less sense than normal. If you don't want to deal with the search bar it is the only fic in my favourites.

* * *

_Loop Mechanics (General)_:

One person in a Loop, often the main character, is an Anchor. They are the person who first starts time looping. (Winx Club Anchor: Flora)

There is always at least one Anchor present in a given Time Loop snippet, though it may not be the local one.

The standard pattern for a loop is that the Anchor (and whoever else is Looping there) come to awareness in a loop at a particular point in the story. From there, events will play out as influenced by the Loopers present, acting with the benefit of their foreknowledge, until either a predetermined end point is reached or the loop crashes for some reason.

To be Awake is to be aware of the time loops (that is, to have gone back in time this time.)

The Anchor is the only character guaranteed to be Awake. Even after others have started looping, it is mostly random as to whether they will be Awake this particular loop.

Crossovers, fusions, and alternate pasts can also take place. It is perfectly possible, for example, to have the characters Awaken into a loop which conforms to a fanfic universe rather than reality.

Loops do not have to be in chronological order, but it is strongly preferred that they not require a mutually contradictory order (where A must be before B and B must be before A.)

Just about every Looper is very, very stir crazy.

The Ping is a signal that a Looper can send out that says 'I'm Awake', it does not give the location or identity of the sender and is near instantaneous in its travel time.

The Pocket is a subspace pocket literally held within a Looper's _soul_, the older a Looper is, the larger the pocket becomes and the more a Looper can carry, (Apart from SoulBonding, which is Not Common,) holding things in a Pocket is the only way to transport physical object between Loops


	2. Fall Of Helia part 1

Diaspro flew up to the other Loopers, sans Helia, discussing to themselves.

"Hey guys. What's going on?"

"Oh, Diaspro. There you are. Look at this." Bloom pointed at a portal, where five familiar faces were talking among themselves.

"Are they... you guys?"

"Yes. No, this isn't a Misaka Glitch." Flora explained.

"Then, what am I seeing?"

"Mini-me Loop," Icy explained. "Have you seen Austin Powers?"

"What powers?"

"Well, it involves a mi-oof!" Darcy shot Musa a dirty look before correcting herself. "Little person that looks exactly like the villain."

"Uh huh."

"Well this is kinda like that, except instead of height, it's Looping."

"So they're not Awake?"

"Yes."

"So just say they're not Awake. It's easier to say that."

"We'll keep that in mind." Stormy said.

"So, what are we going to do?"

"No clue," Tecna shrugged.

"Brainstorming..." Roxy snapped her fingers. "Any ideas?"

"I call vacation." Stella raised her hand.

"Vacation. I like that idea. All approve?" Flora asked, finding everyone raising their hands. "Vacation Loop it is. Where are we going to?"

"That resort planet we were at in Baseline sounds fun." Musa suggested.

"Sounds good. Let's pack our things."

Everyone made their approval known as Helia watched them scatter from his nearby hiding place.

'Perfect. It's time.'

(Jesse Lee)

* * *

Diaspro checked the connections on the Barbecue, checking things off her mental list once she was sure there would be no gas leak.

"That's the third time you've checked the connections," Bloom said as she dropped off trays for the not yet cooked food.

"Is everything okay?" Sky asked, still holding the container of cutlery, knowing full well things weren't okay.

"Sorry, it's just... my first mini-me loop, and today is..."

"The day of the Royals," Bloom finished for her, "and it's almost time for our... meeting."

"Yeah," Diaspro sighed, "I didn't think the desire to watch up close would be this... strong. I mean, seeing it in the Hub footage is one thing, but..."

"Being here is different?" Diaspro nodded in response.

"Well, why don't you girls go watch, and I'll get the food started," Sky suggested, flinching when Diaspro turned on him with a serious frown.

"You aren't touching the barbecue Sky."

"Oh come on, I can 'throw a shrimp on the barbie,' just as well as you can," he tried not to pout.

"First of all, it's prawn, you flaming galah, second, we have some emu and 'roo in the meats, they take a little finenessing, so just... wait."

"What does emu even taste like?" Bloom wondered out loud.

"Vengeance," came Diaspro's whispered response as she squinted off into the ether.

* * *

Diaspro's brow was wrinkled with a light confusion as the festivities at Red Fountain broke up in the aftermath of the fairy fight.

"Hey," Bloom pulled her attention back from wherever it had gone, "what's wrong?"

The blonde opened her mouth and an odd noise came out as she choked on her tumble of thoughts, clearing her throat, she tried again.

"I remember being so much... angrier, than mini-me was."

"Really? That looked like the normal interaction to me."

Diaspro reacted with slight surprise, "huh... that's weird, maybe it's just because this is..."

"The fight that ended with you killing me once?"

"Yeah, that. Mini-me though, she wasn't... angry so much as she was on the defensive."

Bloom snorted quietly, "well some random crazy did come up to her and start attacking for no reason."

The corner of Diaspro's mouth quirked upwards, "urgh I know, who let that nut-job out in public?"

The two fairies started laughing, Bloom smacking her friend gently in rebuke.

"Come on, we have a barbecue to go cook."

"Oh Fand, I hope no one started the roo meat, that stuff dries out so fast if you cook it wrong."

(Jeanne Summers)

* * *

Helia made his way out of Cloud Tower, his latest acquisition clutched in his hand. Dealing with the Trix, making a deal with the Trix, left him feeling slimy in a way that was soul deep. He hadn't wanted to deal with those witches, but they were the only ones who had the ability that he needed for his plan to work.

Besides, in a few short years, it wouldn't matter anyway.

* * *

Aisha laughed as she ran from the treeline, Nabu hot on her heels. She whooped as she made it to the picnic rug set on the grassy lawn of the outlook first, flopping down beside the waiting basket. Nabu chuckled as his girlfriend's glee, then smirked and moved to flop on top of her.

Aisha let out a small shriek as he dropped, lifting her arms to catch him. She smacked him lightly on the arm as he caught himself with magic before his weight could land on her, and he accepted the hit with a small chuckle, moving to lay beside her.

The duo lay quietly in the soft sun light for a while, small giggles occasionally break out, both pleased with their hiking date.

* * *

Helia felt he was cutting it close as he waited, the world around him falling apart. But he had to wait, or he risked being seen and drawing the wrong sort of attention.

The Winx and the Specialists left the portal, and the Trix were trying to find their own way out, as far as he could figure.

On the ground, the remains of Darkar, if they could be called that, writhed. Unseen and incorporeal the Shadow Fire lingered by the stone where its host-form had been defeated.

Stepping forward, Helia pulled out the vial he had commissioned from the Trix a year prior, and used it to draw in the Shadow Fire.

He couldn't risk running into one of the other loopers once he absorbed it himself, so for the time being, it was safest hidden in his Pocket.

From his memories of base line, the room outside Relix would be cleared quickly, so he didn't wait long before reopening the portal, and letting himself out.

He sneered at the device he'd used to open the portal, throwing back into his Pocket as he made a hasty retreat from the crumbling lair. He may have had to resort to desperate measures, but soon it would be over, and it would all be worth it.

* * *

The air of Convent was as warm and oppressive as she remembered, Diaspro pulled her light cowl a little firmer over her hair and went in search of her younger self. She'd kept dropping in over the years, to watch, observe and take stock of her baseline self, and every time, the younger her had been far less angry than she remembered being.

Diaspro found her younger self in the meditative rock garden, her favourite from her own time in Convent. For a moment she watched in silence as the younger fairy argued with her self silently.

With a sneer and a silent snarl, Diaspro the younger tossed her head, hair flipping over her shoulder.

For a brief second, the line of her neck was exposed to view, the archaic loop stop breathing.

'No,' the older Diaspro thought, denial pulling itself from her mind and slamming itself over the evidence before her.

Every single time she'd come to watch her baseline self, the baseline version had been less angry than she remembered.

Until Valtor.

* * *

Diaspro raged inside her own mind, planning and plotting her way back to King Erendor's good graces. 'This was all Bloom's fault,' she thought with a huff, flipping her hair

over her shoulder in irritation, 'if I can just get rid of that peasant!'

"I'm not sure if I want to be wrong about this," the voice from the entry arch startled her, Diaspro almost tripped as she turned to face the interloper, freezing as she caught sight of them.

It looked like her, as if she'd ever be caught dead in that outfit, or with her hair cropped short. Before she could say anything, or let the fraud in her face know how badly they'd botched their disguise, the new comer flung out an arm, a small bottle in their hand trailing a fine, sparkling dust. Diaspro raised an arm to defend herself from the attack; since she was still within the first few weeks of her 'rehabilitation,' her magic was bound, she'd have to rely on her princess training to fend off any assaults from this... doppleganger.

The glitter fell over her, seeping into her, but it didn't hurt. The banished princess stumbled, trying to drag in enough air to breathe as the magic tingled throughout her body, dissolving a strangling force she hadn't even noticed was there.

'The king was right to banish me,' she thought suddenly, seeing her recent actions with a new clarity, 'it wasn't... I didn't... but I did, why did I?'

"What have I done?" Her prince, whom she loved and was sworn to protect, and she'd... she'd "WHAT HAVE I DONE!?"

* * *

Diaspro felt sick to her stomach as she watched her younger self's confused anguish, genuine tears of regret crystallising on the younger girl's cheeks.

Instincts kicking in, Diaspro gathered the girl in her arms, running a soothing hand through her hair, even as she herself fell off kilter.

She'd hoped she'd been wrong about the Mark of Valtor on her mini-me's neck, but the instant her fairy dust had struck, she'd seen the dark energies dissipate.

As a tainted version of the Dragon Fire, was it possible Valtor's Mark had remained on her through multiple loops? Was it possible everything she'd gone through, everything she'd done, had been because of him?

What had she been thinking, the first time she'd said yes to the love potion? She couldn't even remember any more.

But, she'd broken Valtor's influence since then, hadn't she? Yes, she was sure, she'd Woken up face to face with him, put him through a wall.

So... had it been completely her own decision to take and use that potion?

And every action after that to get Sky back... had that been?

The younger Diaspro wailed, and the elder held her tighter, trying to shove the maelstrom of thoughts as far away from herself as she could.

Surely it didn't even matter now? She'd taken responsibility, she'd made her peace and moved on. What did it matter now?

* * *

The idea had come to him when he'd realised what kind of loop this was, when the others had explained it to Diaspro as he watched on from afar. When he realised the unique opportunity this loop presented.

Helia watched the 'mini' Winx from his hiding place as they set the artefacts down on the table, leaving them out in the open while they went off to party.

It was almost too easy to slip past the defences of these Winx, to come and go from the school as he pleased, waiting for just the right moment.

For this moment.

The looping versions were always so much more aware, even when they didn't seem to be paying attention to their surroundings. He never would have gotten away with this if they were anywhere nearby.

The door of the Winx Club's dorm closed, and Helia waited until their footsteps faded down the hall. He gave it another few minutes for them to come back for anything they'd forgotten, then he slipped out into the room.

It was done in seconds.

He left the room with the artefacts in tow, a forged letter left behind from 'Arcadia'.

These Winx wouldn't think anything of it, they were...

younger than the loopers, more naive.

Paler somehow than their looping selves, like a fabric gone through too many washes, their was something... less vibrant about them.

But this... was the way it was meant to be, the way it had to be again.

Helia was doing the right thing.

He was.

* * *

The group sat around a large table, beneath an opaque cloth canopy, a cool breeze brought the scent of the wild flower field to them as the chatted over their summer lunch. Plates were swapped, rockmelon for watermelon, the salad was nudged along the table, an olive slice falling from the crisp green leaves to roll across the table cloth.

Aisha stretched and sighed, "this is great, we really deserved this break." Along the table came noises of agreement.

"Is it wrong of me that I'm glad Helia didn't show up at all?" Bloom asked, accepting the salad dressing from Sky.

Flora frowned, "things have been a little weird with him lately."

"Yeah," Bloom allowed, "but I meant more because of Diaspro."

"Where is she anyway?" Icy asked.

"She said something about... 'convent' I think?"

"She's going to talk to her mini-self in exile," Sky explained, more aware of where mini-Diaspro had been sent after... recent events.

"So you noticed it too?" Roxy asked Bloom, "How weird Diaspro suddenly started getting whenever Helia was in the room?"

"Yeah," Bloom nodded.

Stella frowned as she reached for the salad, "why, what's going on between them?"

"No idea, but it was... what was happening at the time... oh right, just after she brought back the baby pictures, you remember, and then she blew up Pluto by accident because someone sent her the death bear."

Stella was frozen, a pair of tongs full of salad half way to her plate.

"Snookums," Brandon placed a hand on her shoulder, "you okay?"

A cherry tomato fell from Stella's gathering of salad, plonking onto her plate before bouncing off.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

The others stared in surprise at the blonde's outburst, watching as she set down the salad tongs with so much force, she cracked both them, and her plate.

"Helia! Who recently Woke up and has been having issues with how things have 'changed,' so much in fact that Fand actually sent him to Setsuna for a chat on coping!? Who we know had explosives that could destroy an entire planetoid? Who's ex-girlfriend's wife was the one to have her Pocket explode!?"

Flora looked like she wanted to be sick, "he wouldn't have, surely? I thought he was doing better."

"Someone call Diaspro, see if she knows who sent her the Bomb-in-a-bear."

Bloom was already on her phone.

"Diaspro! Who sent you the Bomb-in-a-bear?... But as far as you can tell, it was Helia?... Stella's right then, Helia may be the one who blew up Tecna's Pocket... I think we need to have a serious talk with Helia... come meet us a- wow," Sky jerked forwards to catch Bloom as she began tipping out of her seat, across the table Stormy and Roxy grabbed Daphne before she could fall.

"... What, oh sorry Diaspro, dizzy spell... uh, since about the same time as Daphne? Huh that's weird."

"Something feels wrong," Daphne said, holding her head like it would stop her brain from spinning.

"Can you tell what it is?" Flora asked, reaching for her.

"I think it's... The Shadow Fire? or... is that, the Water Stars?"

"What do you mean," Sky asked, catching Bloom's phone before it could fall from her hand, changing it to speaker as he set it on the table.

"The Dragon Fire, the Shadow Fire and the Water Stars are all connected," Bloom answered, "Sometimes Daphne and I can feel them as a result, but this... I don't know what this is?"

"Maybe we should go check this out," Stella suggested, "nothing like this happened in baseline, and this should be a baseline loop."

"But where do we start?" Brandon asked.

"Shadow Haunt," Flora said, "we know the Shadow Fire is involved, we should start there, the Water Stars will be with our younger selves, so they should be able to figure something out where they're concerned. Diaspro?"

"I'll meet you at Darkar's Lair."

"Good," Bloom's phone beeped as Diaspro hung up, "alright everyone, Vacation is officially on hold."

* * *

Diaspro, the younger, sniffled as another warm wind brushed over her. The elder Diaspro rubbing a soothing hand along her spine.

"He'll never forgive me, not for this." The younger fairies words were whispered, clogged with unshed tears, a small pile of tears already wept gathered by her feet.

The still, oppressive air of Convent was shattered by a sudden ringing.

"Sorry sweetie," the elder pulled a phone from her pocket and answered. "Don't worry I'll be the- ...The Bomb-in-a-bear? Well I'm not sure if Helia actually sent it, or if it was someone wearing his face, I could only follow the trail back that far with my Tracix, and you can't exactly dispel past illusions in it... yeah?"

Her slight confused frown morphed into something much angrier. "That makes way too much sense, …, agreed where should I meet you? … Bloom? … since when do you get dizzy spells?"

The elder Diaspro became a terrifying shade of pale in response to whatever Bloom had said.

"I'll meet you at Darkar's Lair." She snapped the phone closed and turned to her younger self, "I am so sorry, I would stay here and walk you through this emotion turmoil, but the fabric of the multiverse, certainly our universe, may be in immense danger." Her eyes slid to the side, like she was looking at something far away or long ago, and whispered to herself, "I never thought he'd go this far."

"What's happening? Please! Who Are You!?" The younger Diaspro placed a hand on her elder self's wrist. The older blonde shook her head, standing.

"Sorry, I'm you from an alternate future, and apparently a friend is having a mental breakdown which could destroy this universe and singe the multiverse. One of us should have noticed before this how bad it was getting. Fand, I just hope..." she pressed her hands to her face, "I'm sorry, I have to go." A pair of brilliant wings appeared on her back, and she disappeared. (Jeanne Summers)


	3. Fall of Helia part 2

The group materialised in a tunnel outside of Darkar's lair, not wanting to risk dropping themselves in the middle of whatever was going on.

Both Bloom and Daphne stumbled as the source of their discomfort became suddenly closer. Sky and Timmy held the sisters upright while they caught their footing.

"You girls okay?" Sky asked.

Daphne nodded. "Yes, thank you. But I am... significantly more anxious about my ability to help in any fight that may happen here."

"We've got this," Bloom told her, already upright and looking ready to go.

"No sign of Diaspro," Tecna said, scanning the area.

"She'll have to catch up," replied Flora, as she began moving towards the source of the disturbance, Speedix wings propelling her through the air.

The boys had to run to keep up with the girls as they flew through the twists and turns of Shadowhaunt, trailing the mysterious force as it moved around. At last, they reached a large balcony which opened to the cavern Shadowhaunt occupied. Coloured light flickered across the ground, beckoning them. (Jeanne & Callii)

* * *

The Loopers rushed forward—

—and there he was.

Helia hung suspended in the air above them, staring down at them like an angel passing divine judgment, completely unmoving except for his dark hair, which had come free from its band and now whipped around behind him in a phantom wind. His right arm was enshrouded in rippling blue waves of power, his left limned in glowing red darkness, and the clenched fists at his side were the only hint of emotion he showed. The rest of him hung completely still, almost serene.

The Water Stars floated around him, circling endlessly, leaving soft trails of blue light as they spun— and behind him loomed a great, menacing dragon of dark, shifting crimson flame, rearing back to strike down anyone who tried to stop Helia's plans. Crimson and blue light stained Shadowhaunt's murky walls, casting ominous shadows across the cavern.

Flora stared directly at Helia's face, into his eyes. They were hard, unwavering— maybe there was some reluctance, or regret, but it was overshadowed by his determination. Almost unwittingly, she said, "Helia…"

Brandon was less hesitant. "Helia!" he yelled. "What are you doing? This is totally pointless!"

Helia turned to face Brandon, whose hand fell instinctively to the hilt of his sword, and spoke for the first time. "You don't understand, Brandon," he said— calmly, but strained, like he was barely managing to keep control of himself. "You're happy with these… these Loops. You and Stella, you're just fine, you're content to let this happen. You don't see that it's wrong!"

"I get it, Helia!" Now Sky stepped forward, hands outstretched toward his friend. "I understand that change can hurt. Me and Bloom have been having problems ever since the Loops started—"

"I can fix that!" Helia burst out, before visibly calming himself. His tone turned pleading. "Sky, I can fix that. I can make you and Bloom go back to normal, if you'd just—"

"There's nothing to fix!" exclaimed Sky. "It's good that we've been having problems, because it means we have to talk about how to fix them, and think about what's actually best for us!"

Flora glanced over at Bloom, who'd raised an eyebrow at Sky's words. Helia, apparently having the same thought, started to say something to Bloom, but was cut off before he could speak. "Sky's right," she said. "There's nothing to fix."

Helia's gaze swept across the assembled Loopers. "Stella," he tried, "don't you want to get rid of that— thing? You can't possibly like becoming an oozing monster, can you?"

"You know, I might have been tempted," Stella said airily. "But as it turns out, the goo is great for my complexion. So sorry, but I'll have to pass."

Brandon laughed, grinning at her, and she beamed back.

Wild-eyed, Helia cast about. "Aisha—"

"No."

"You don't understand—"

Aisha glared at Helia. "I understand," she said, each syllable charged with anger, "that you want to reset all the progress we've made— that you want to tear our lives apart— that you want to kill Nabu—"

"He's supposed to be dead!"

Aisha gave a wordless cry of rage. She made to lunge, holding up her hand and preparing an attack— which fizzled out as Nabu grasped her hand in his own.

"It's alright, Aisha. He didn't mean it like that," he said soothingly.

For a moment, she looked like she might tear her hand out of his hold, but instead she sighed and closed her fingers around his. The glare she directed at Helia became even more withering. "I won't let you be taken away from me again."

"Don't worry," Nabu said, not taking his eyes off Helia. "I don't intend on letting that happen either."

Helia whipped his head around frantically. "Timmy, Tecna, these Loops, they're not— they're not logical, this isn't logical, I have to fix it—"

"Don't even bother," Tecna said coldly, and Timmy nodded agreement. "Any sympathy I had for you died when you blew up my Pocket."

"Yeah, that was… well, dick move is putting it lightly," Musa put in. "And do you seriously think any of us would support you on this even if you didn't do that to Tecna? I mean, just look at me now. You think I want to go back to Riven?"

"You're dating a witch, Musa!" Helia cried. "That's not— it's all wrong!"

Darcy raised an eyebrow. "Watch what you're calling wrong, big boy." Not breaking eye contact with Helia, she pulled Musa in for a quick (although still passionate) kiss.

"Besides," Icy said, smirking, "are you saying you'd rather have us as enemies than as allies? Isn't it better for you and your friends not to have to contend with us?"

"Considering he would rather I be dead than alive because that's how it went in baseline, I don't think he cares much about what's better for us," Nabu pointed out.

Icy frowned. "Point taken. Are you sure you'd rather 'bring him back to the light' than just end him now?"

"Not unless there's no other choice."

"It's so insulting, though," Stormy said. "He wants us to go back to being two-dimensional villains who always end up getting beaten? No way."

Bloom smiled viciously. "Not happening," she said, full of determination. "He's not resetting anything."

Helia made a noise of frustration. "They're not— they're supposed to hate each other! You can't possibly think this is right!" he yelled, gesticulating wildly.

"Helia, man, you're the only one who thinks there's a problem," Brandon said. "Just— come down, let go of the Stars and the Fire, and we can all go rest."

Instead of calming Helia down, Brandon's words had the opposite effect. Helia screamed in anger, and the shadowed dragon behind him roared in discordant chorus. Streaks of blue and crimson lightning sparked, lashing up and down Helia's form. "I can't accept this!" he yelled. "I have to fix it!"

"Helia, stop!" shouted Flora as she stepped forward.

Helia fell silent, though the lightning did not vanish and an echo of the dragon's roar resounded in the cavern. Even though he was too high up to reach her, he stretched out a hand, then stared at it— almost seeming surprised at the presence of the tenebrous flame and the crackling bolts.

"Flora," he said in a near whisper. "Flora, please, please let me fix it. I can— I can make it all better. I can fix us, I can stop these Loops, I can make everything the way it should be. We can have what we used to— we can be what we used to— it'll all be okay, just please, let me fix it, Flora."

She felt, rather than saw, Tecna step up beside her. Taking her wife's hand in her own, she interlaced their fingers.

Flora closed her eyes for a long moment. "I'm sorry, Helia."

And Helia screamed. The dragon's grating roar clashed once again with Helia's rage, tearing and harsh, as Helia clenched his outstretched hand into a claw. A dark flame took form in his palm, flickering savagely, and he screamed even as he unleashed the first attack. (Callii)

_The group scrambled out of the way, scattering as his attack slammed into the stone beneath them. They shielded themselves from the debris as best they could and moved to take cover. Unseen by Helia, the group moved to circle him, and then-_

"What the-" Helia said as he heard the noise. Almost like thousands of ice cubes falling on the ground at once, and dozens of avalanches. He turned to see what it was-and didn't like it. Nobody would like a thousands-strong army of ice, snow and storm monsters charging at them, especially when they were certain the enemy couldn't do that. He knew Stormy could summon the Storm Harpies (thanks, Valtor), but he thought that Icy's powers didn't include creating armies of ice golems. And of course there was a snow storm to hinder any attempt at destroying them.

Typical Trix tactic, a very visible hammer in the front that could kill you just as much as the dark dagger it actually served to distract you from. All he needed was to know where Darcy would attack from, and how. Then the fire attack came from the side, and, after dodging (he knew better than try and shield from Darcy's fire, Flora had told him about how BLOOM couldn't put it off), he prepared to blast her with the Water Stars-and saw instead Icy, grinning evilly. He had honestly forgot Valtor had given her that power... But then, WHERE WAS DARCY?!

He had his answer when he felt all his nerves and capillary blood vessels being telekinetically pinched at once and, as he kneeled in pain, he saw the witch come out from the ground.

"And that is why you leave dealing with the overpowered monsters to the experts." Darcy said as she walked up to him, ready to pilfer everything from him as she kept her hold on his vessels.

"NEVER!" he shouted, breaking her hold with sheer magical power and preparing to smite her.

Then he was hit by seventy-four bolts of lightning, the only warning he got before the snow monsters and the Storm Harpies were on him.

(Lord Martiya)

_His shielding wasn't fancy, the rebuff wasn't specialised, Helia simply let his anger direct the powers he now wielded, let the energies explode outwards, tearing the magical constructs to pieces. The Trix were shoved back, and a light grunt of exertion had him turning in time to see two of the fairies launching debris from his earlier attack._

Calmly raising his left arm, he unleashed the power of just one of the Water Stars, obliterating the rubble.

He cocked his head at the tiny creature that was running towards him.

"Really Stella? Is that the-"

Helia's words were cut off by Stella changing into a four armed beast, about to give one hell of a left hook. Bracing himself, he felt the impacts on both the right side of his head and his torso. Any normal person would've gotten a concussion and fractured ribs at best, but in Helia's current state, it barely dazed him.

It was then that a fish creature bit down on his face. Angrily forcing the jaws open, he tossed the creature to the side. It transformed back into Stella in a flash of green as Stella tossed some magic bolts while flying back into cover.

"Helia, if you continue doing this, you will regret it and, by the dragon, it'll only be the beginning of something even worse." Stella said, planning her next attack.

"You don't know anything."

"Well then," Stella caught sight of something good. "how about you hear a fact?"

"What?" Helia asked, annoyed.

In that moment, he felt a pain that he just couldn't ignore, just as a loud booming noise rang out. Noticing some blood on the floor, he turned to see her.

"Bitches love cannons." Stella grinned and saluted as Flora fired more Harkonnen shots at Helia.

Helia began to block the shots being fired with the Water Stars as started to charge at Flora.

Flora responded by Pocketing the Harkonnen and activating Zoomix, speeding off and directing Helia away from Stella.

"Guys, Flora has Helia chasing her. Make sure he doesn't catch her." Stella said on the phone.

"Got it." Roxy replied.

(Jesse Lee)

* * *

_As She swerved and dodged Helia's assault, Flora pulled her emergency device from her Pocket, pressing down hard on the call button. She'd hoped to settle this herself, between the loopers but... Fand was their best bet for ending this without doing irreparable damage to their branch._

_If only Helia hadn't brought two of the branches most dangerous powers to the fight._

* * *

The battle between Helia and the other loopers was difficult, not just for the sheer power Helia was wielding.

The boys were forced to hang back for the most part, darting in to run interference where they could, Timmy managed to get one good shot in, and would have paid for it dearly if Nabu hadn't managed to shield him in time.

It was awe inspiring, but also terrifying, watching as the girls darted about, unleashing spells and Pocketed weaponry. For all their age, and all the powers the boys had collected throughout their time as loopers, they couldn't match the power the girls were displaying, not even Nabu, but they did what they could.

The hardest part about fighting Helia, was that no matter what he'd done, no matter what he was doing, he had been their friend, and they were fighting to stop him, to save him from himself.

* * *

Diaspro announces her arrival to the battlefield by collapsing a large chunk of the cavern in on Helia, pressing it down as much as she can to hold him still without crushing him.

"You're late!" Bloom calls across the field, thankful for the breather.

"I had to see a man about a 'Plan B,'" the blonde calls back, trying to keep ahead of the stone tomb's cracking. The energies contained within slipped through, a tendril of power wrapping around her ankle.

Driven by Helia's desire to set things 'right,' the Shadow Fire attempted to sink into her, to corrupt her mind back to the madness she'd long since put behind her.

It sparked a rage inside Diaspro, the sensation of corruption seeking out somewhere to anchor itself, but this close on the heels of her discovery about her baseline self, it sparked a rage far greater than any Diaspro had felt for a long time.

She was beyond done with people trying to mess with her head.

Keep Hope Alive materialised beside her, within her, like a single frame not quite in focus, they exist just out of perfect sync.

It doesn't matter, Diaspro could feel the power welling up inside her.

She crushed down with more than enough force to turn the car sized rock mass into a ping pong ball.

The stone exploded outwards, the Water Stars and the Shadow Fire managing to redirect the energy before Helia was crushed.

He followed up with a blast of pure energy, which singed her as she spiraled out of the way, diving for her enemy.

Helia moved away and Diaspro followed, she could fly faster than her attacks, so she grabed for him, but only managed to catch his ankle. Her power twists through him, far slower than it should have, curbed by the stolen magic he wields, it reaches to just below his knee before he can stop it entirely.

With a snarl, Diaspro twists, shattering the limb she had fossilised before he could reverse the damage.

Though the limb is dead, nerves turned to stone, Heila screams in agony, his pain causing a backlash of magic which slams Diaspro into the far side of the cavern.

Her body sinks through the rock wall like it's water, and when she emerges, she is pulled out by her Stand, their near perfect synchronisation lost.

(Jeanne Summers)

* * *

Nabu let out a quiet 'huh,' as he and Aisha steadied each other. Aisha made a small noise of curiosity in response.

"Diaspro's Stand is slightly older than I am, but I don't think I've ever seen her use it in battle before."

"Neither have I," Aisha frowned, she'd seen the look of anger on Diaspro's face and wondered exactly what Helia had tried to do with his attack.

She also hoped Diaspro would remember that it was their friend they were all fighting.

* * *

While Diaspro began fighting Helia, Bloom made her way to her sister. Small emanations from the Shadow Fire and the Water Stars had been pulsing from Helia at random intervals, and while Bloom had been able to shrug them off, she was worried about Daphne.

For a split second, as Bloom put her hand on Daphne's shoulder, she thought she heard the cracking of stone, but it was drowned out by Helia's screaming.

The sisters refocused just in time to see Helia lash out, sending Diaspro flying into a wall.

"Did you feel that?" Daphne gasped.

"The power, it... buckled?" Bloom knew that feeling, but from where?

"That, felt like a convergence collapsing."

"You're right!" Bloom hugged her sister briefly, as the revelation ran through her head. "It makes sense, the Dragon Fire and the Water Stars cancel each other out!"

"But Helia has the Shadow Fire?" Daphne's face lit up with understanding, "which isn't the same as the Dragon Fire but close enough that he can't use the two powers in _convergence_!"

The air crackled with explosions as Diaspro returned to the offensive, her Diadem Assault bombarding Helia with explosive projectiles from multiple angles.

"Hey," Darcy melted out of a nearby shadow, "are you two okay?"

"Yes! We just realised the Shadow Fire and the Water Stars can't form convergence, they're still too close to primordial elemental opposites to work in sync."

"Pity they don't cancel each other out, we could be done by now," Darcy looked over to Helia, who'd begun smashing the Diadem Assault's crystals.

"If by 'done by now' you mean the complete, and possibly last destruction of our branch? Then yeah."

The faint echo of Helia voice carried across the cavern to them, "an Illusion Diaspro, really?"

Looking over they saw two copies of Diaspro, one of which was using Keep Hope Alive's Crystal Cast magic.

"I'm just so glad Helia's a total n00b at this whole, power of the gods thing, or we might not have stood any semblance of a cha...nce?"

"Darcy?" Daphne reached out to the witch.

"I just had a thought," she reached out telepathically to her sisters, speaking aloud at the same time for the fairies' benefit. "If the Shadow Fire is that close to the Dragon Fire, what if we recalibrated our Vacuums to draw it out. Bloom and Daphne would still be at a disadvantage since we'd still be dealing with the Water Stars-"

Keep Hope Alive let out a yelp as she was struck down mid air, several bodies tumbling from where the false Diaspro had been. Bloom recognised Mirror, Power and Fight before the Clow Cards were unsummoned back to Diaspro's Pocket.

"OH! IDEA!" Bloom said, startling the other two. "Darcy, can you link everyone who's not Helia, I may have a plan!"

* * *

Bloom's voice swept out along the telepathic link, "Diaspro, you still have a crapton of Agador Boxes right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Trix, can you adjust the Vacuums to pull at both powers? Not absorb them, just pull them?"

"It will take a few minutes," Icy's replied, "but yeah, if the Vacuums aren't absorbing either, then we should be able to."

"Great, while you do that we need to try to get Helia to attempt a convergence."

* * *

Helia wasn't sure what the others thought they were doing, but it seemed they were back to distraction tactics. Diaspro must have been out of tricks as well, so maybe now he could make some progress.

He just... needed this to be over with.

'Wait, what are they...?'

* * *

"Diaspro," Flora placed a hand on the younger fairy's cheek, ensuring their gaze was locked and Diaspro knew how serious she was, "I think it's time for a Requiem."

Diaspro paled, but nodded anyway, stepping back and away from Flora she called Keep Hope Alive to her once more.

This time there was no sliver of separation, no distinction between the two.

* * *

She is afraid of this power, but she also knows Flora is right, Breaking the tether between Helia and the Stolen magic isn't like Breaking other things.

It is not a task she can complete without it.

The structure of the universe, understanding of things she does not normally care to comprehend roll themselves out for her.

Helia sends a volley of energy towards her, but she can see it, the Order of its creation.

She twists a coil of power and the attack explodes before it can reach its target.

Turning, she stares up at Helia, and understands.

She has to break him.

* * *

Aisha flinched as Diaspro began to speak, breaking attack after attack, even if the distortion of voice wasn't odd and uncomfortable, her words are painful to hear, even for those they aren't directed at. Beside Aisha, Stella looked equally uncomfortable, the duo had to work to block it out, to focus as Bloom and Daphne must on the other side of the cavern.

Whether this works or not, they know this plan won't work twice.

Settling into a mild convergence, the pair work on creating a magical wavelength sympathetic to the Water Stars.

* * *

Icy, Darcy and Stormy worked quickly, recalibrating their Vacuums, Diaspro's – Goldy's – Vacuum was broken down and used to reinforce the triangle they were creating.

Hidden from view they waited for the right moment to begin.

* * *

Around the Helia and the eight women, Roxy, Musa, Tecna, Flora and Nabu began crafting a shield to protect the universe from any potential backlash.

In moments like these, Nabu could really feel the difference in their magic pools the age gap caused. Still, he was capable of helping, so help he would.

* * *

Sky, Brandon and Timmy watched on, hoping this would work. Maybe without the stolen magic, they could finally get through to Helia.

"Do you think praying to Fand might help?" Timmy asked, a waver barely there in his voice.

"It can't hurt?" Brandon replied, gaze fixed firmly on Stella, and Sky reached over to take his friend's hand as his voice cracked slightly.

* * *

"Has our little sister always been that vicious?" Stormy asked as the Trix began to power up their spell.

Helia began twisting the powers together, trying to force a Convergence.

"**We aren't broken Helia, YOU ARE**!" In the same instant the powers buckled, Diaspro drove a shunt of energy into the cracks, forcing them wider. The Trix' spell began pulling at the exposed pieces of magic, tugging them away.

On either side of the cavern, Bloom and Daphne, and Aisha and Stella began their own spells.

While the Dragon Fire-wielder sisters pulled at their Shadow counterpart, the princesses of Andros and Solaria began gathering the Water Stars.

With Darcy's telepathic link, it was easy for the group to keep the spell stable.

Or so they thought.

'Uh-oh!' 'Problem!' 'Wait-!'

They had less than a second of warning before the spells shattered, the Shadow Fire and the Water Stars snapped back to Helia with such force, the backlash shattered the protective shield around them, and the cavern walls were compressed by a metre in every direction.

Darcy's mental link disintegrated under the shockwave's power.

For a few seconds the cavern was filled with a heavy silence, then from around the area, small groans and moans made themselves heard.

"Uhhhrrgh, is everyone okay?" Flora called out.

"I'm not," Stella said, pushing a piece of debris off herself.

"I think we need a new plan," Icy added, wriggling free of the imprint she'd made of herself on the wall.

"Helia's down," Techna pointed to the boy in question, floating limply in the air, The Shadow Fire and the Water Stars circling him slowly. They watched as the last of his foot repaired itself, and he began to twitch.

"We need to get him now before he fully recovers," Musa said.

"Great plan, is anyone capable of getting him now?" Aisha shot back, "because I need to recover as much as he does."

"Diaspro!" Bloom looked around for the blonde.

"I've got her!" Sky darted the few dozen metres to the fallen fairy's side, taking in her appearance. She'd reverted back to her civilian form, and Sky had to remove his jacket to place under her head as she began seizing.

Keep Hope Alive (Requiem or otherwise) was nowhere to be seen.

Flora swore quietly to herself and pressed the emergency button again. If Fand didn't arrive soon...

In the air, Helia's head turned towards her, his eyes locking with hers.

"Break time's over," she called to her friends.

(Jeanne Summers)

* * *

It was done. Just a moment, and he would rewrite everything. Then he felt a strangely powerful push on the back, almost as if he had been punched.

"That was supposed to rip your heart out, just as promised... But then again, Minako did say there was a chance it wouldn't work out of her branch." an unexpected voice said, right before Helia was blocked to the ground by an incredibly powerful glue shot.

Everyone turned in shock, not believing at the voice-and almost not believing at the sight of Riven, of all people, training on Helia a Fire Buster II like the one Tecna had been gifted for her wedding by the Sailor Moon Loopers.

"Wait... What are you doing?!" Helia asked.

"Trying to keep you from doing the stupidest thing I've ever witnessed, of course. And that includes the Loop where Darcy and Musa were best friends and my non-Looping counterpart tried to date both behind the back of the other." came the reply in the most annoyed tone Riven could muster. "Oh, and ripping your heart out-I promised I'd do that if you continued being a stalker to Flora, didn't I?"

"I-I am not stalking! I'm trying to turn everything back to normal!"

"Normal became rather fluid the moment we Awoke to the Loops, Helia."

"But you and Musa-"

"Please spare me the bad boyfriend jokes. Icy and Stormy are already going to do them, nevermind how I've had to keep them from getting too pushy with setting my exes together. But nevermind talking about me-let's talk about you. And the fact you're trying to erase millions of years of the lives of all your friends because you can't handle having been dumped-you're being worse than baseline me! BASELINE ME! Do you understand how ridiculous you're being?!"

"Quite a lot." Stormy quipped, unable to restrain herself.

"Now stop, OK? It's not too late. You can put those things down, get to a good shrink, possibly away from Michiru and Naruto's prank war, and-well, things aren't going back to normal, but at least you can start adapting to this mess. Really adapting, I mean."

Helia didn't answer for a moment, and closed his eyes. Then he reopened them, and said: "I can't stop now. I'm sorry."

Riven pulled the trigger of his flamethrower, firing a surprisingly powerful burst of fire that was somehow burning through the magical barrier set up by Helia.

"Stand down! You've already lost, you idiot!" Riven shouted.

With a wordless scream, Helia pushed more energy in the shield and hit back with the Water Stars, overpowering the Fire Buster II and knocking the now revealed Stealth Looper down, before dissolving the glue that had been keeping him blocked. (Lord Martiya)

* * *

Now or never. Helia had gathered enough knowledge how to handle his new powers. It's time.

He looked onto the others, ignoring any brief sparks of hesitation- until his gaze fell upon Flora, who stared at him with pleading eyes.

Would it really be worth it? Helia looked over each of them once more. Stella with her bugs- Nabu, still alive- Diaspro seizing on the ground- Flora, married to Tecna-

Was it too late?

He breathed in, breathed out, and made his choice.

Gathering the powers of the Shadow Flame and the Water Stars, Helia closed his eyes and prepared to change everything. He unleashed his power-

A bright flash of light consumed the cavern.


	4. Fall of Helia part 3

Helia opened his eyes, awaiting what he had done.

To his surprise, nothing had changed. The others were confused, looking around and examining themselves.

"What? But I was sure that I... changed everything. Changed everything... back."

"You almost did," someone spoke up from behind him, "but Riven crashing in gave me the last few precious seconds needed to fix this problem."

Helia whipped around to see a disappointed fairy he had never seen before.

"W-Who-"

"Up-pah-pah! Not one word." The fairy waved a hand, shushing him. "Hello, everyone. Thank you for handling this issue while I was at lunch. Apparently, my assistant sent an urgent email to Skuld, who in turn, contacted me, and ended my lunch early. I'm barely fed, I came back to a very stressful situation, and I'll be frank..." She turned back to Helia. "I'm really glad I fixed the problem you made, Helia. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Fand, the Admin for this Branch, and therefore, its protector above Flora herself."

Helia stared in shock.

"Do you have any idea what you almost did?"

"I... I..."

"Spit it out."

"I... just wanted everything to become... normal."

"Normal." For the first time, Flora spoke up. "Normal! Normal! Do you realize what kind of people you were going to kill, just to bring everything back to your so-called 'normal'!?"

"Flora... I-"

Faster than he could perceive, Flora appeared in front of him, grasping Helia's mouth with a vice grip. Anger and disappointment showed clear on her face; tears formed in her suddenly red eyes. "Not. One. Fucking. Word."

Flora shoved Helia to the floor as she turned and walked towards Tecna. Sharing a quick nod, they walked away.

Helia stared at their backs as they left.

Looking over to the others, he saw the same looks of disappointment and anger. "...guys?"

Timmy turned to follow Tecna and Flora, too disgusted to even speak with Helia.

Sky and Brandon looked at each other, then at Helia.

"Helia, just stay away from us," Sky said.

"I-"

"You've done enough," added Brandon. "Stella, what do you think?"

"...I think you and Flora took the words right out of my mouth."

The three walked away.

"N-Nabu? Aisha?"

The two glared at Helia.

"Can't you-"

"You tried to let me die, and keep Aisha and me away from each other," Nabu interrupted sharply. "We're not friends. Not anymore."

Helia pulled himself off the ground, only to see Bloom levitating the now still Diaspro, jaw tight and movements sharp. Bloom looked at Helia, and he could've sworn that the temperature of the room rose.

"Let's go. We're done here," Bloom said bitterly.

As the others wordlessly agreed and turned their backs on him, Helia wiped a drop of wetness from his cheek.

Finally, it was just him and Fand. He glanced over at the Admin.

"I suppose their actions speak for themselves. Congratulations, Helia. I hope you're proud of yourself." And Fand disappeared with a flash of ones and zeros.

Helia watched his friends- the others, staring at their backs as they walked away.

He was alone.

Helia felt no need to get up at all. He was done. There was no point anymore. He failed, and made things even worse for himself.

He closed his eyes.

"Well, you actually got off easy, all things considered."

Helia's eyes flew open and he turned his head to see Riven, looking down at Helia, arms crossed.

"What do you want? Are you here to gloat? To insult me?"

"If I wanted to insult you," Riven pointed out calmly, "I'd have joined the others and called you a bastard. An asshole. A monster."

"So why didn't you?"

Riven paused. "You could say it's because I think you still could be redeemed."

"I don't deserve it," Helia whispered to himself.

"And apparently, I don't deserve happiness." Riven shrugged. "That doesn't stop me from trying."

"Riven, just leave me alone."

"I could, but that would be the nice thing to do, wouldn't it?"

Helia laughed. It came out hollow. "Still the same old Riven, after all these years."

"Centuries might be more accurate. I'm probably about as old as the Trix- I've been keeping quiet for a long time."

"Is it because you dated Darcy?"

"Maybe. Or maybe Musa was responsible. Either way, they're dating, and I've had to fake shock and anger more than once."

"What's your point? Things changed, and you can accept it where I couldn't?"

"I'm saying that since I'm done Stealthing, I'm done pretending, and I can't pretend that I hate you." Riven settled a hand gently on Helia's shoulder.

"So you pity me."

"Basically."

"You feel sorry for me, and you want to help so that I'm not pathetic?"

"Pretty much. I've got a list of things I've wanted to do ever since I started Looping, and I've been adding to it. What's wrong with adding 'help Helia out' to the list?"

Helia said nothing.

"That's what I thought." Riven helped Helia up to his feet. "Let's get you back home. I'm sure you'd rather cry your eyes out in bed than in this place."

"...yeah. You're right."

"We should also patch you up- that beating you took while wielding that magic has got to hurt."

"Not as much I hurt them."

(Jesse Lee) (Awesomedude17)

* * *

"So, what's the situation on Diaspro?" Sky asked Bloom.

"She's stable, but she's still out. Out of all of us, she got the worst of us all."

Sky sighed as he sat down on a nearby chair.

"I can't believe it. Out of everyone who could have almost destroyed our Branch, it was Helia, of all people. I can't even think what's going through Flora's mind now."

"I can, and I really don't like it. On the plus side, Riven seems to be fine with Musa and Darcy dating."

"I doubt he's _'alright'_ with that, but at least he didn't stop them."

"True," Bloom sat down by Sky.

Silence.

"Bloom, I got to ask you something."

"Shoot,"

"If I were in Helia's place... would you absolutely hate me with every fiber of your being?"

"...I... don't know. I suppose I'd feel... betrayed, and angry... but I don't think I'd hate you that much."

"It's because you care for me, don't you?"

"...I suppose I do."

"Honestly, I'd be fine with you hating me in that situation. To even think about handling the Shadow Fire would require some bad thoughts. Speaking of, what's going to happen to either that or the Water Stars?"

"We'll have to wait until Fand tells us all. She's currently trying to relieve the stress this near-disaster caused."

"Writing cheesy romance fics?"

"I wouldn't put it against her."

"Me neither."

Now it was Bloom's time to sigh. Patting Sky on his back, she said, "Sky. You proved yourself today. I'm proud of what you managed to do."

"Thanks. Right back at you, Bloom."

Bloom smiled.

It was a very awkward silence between the two.

"So uh... You want to try and take all this madness off your mind?" Sky asked.

"Yeah. What are you thinking?"

"Something simple. A picnic. Maybe bring your rabbit?"

Bloom put her hand on Sky's shoulder.

"It's a date."

"Uh. Good. Let's go sometime after Diaspro wakes up."

"Okay."

* * *

"Are you sure? Because we can-"

"GO!" Keep Hope Alive cut Bloom off, pointing towards the door. The red head frowned at Diaspro, even as the blonde's Stand made flapping motions, trying to shoo Bloom and Sky from the room.

"Seriously," said Hope in Diaspro's Voice, "I'm fine, go have your picnic, I'll still be here when you get back."

Sighing in defeat Bloom leaned forward to plant a kiss on Diaspro's brow, not that the blonde could feel it.

"We're glad you're alright," Sky winced at his own words, "for a given definition..."

Hope laughed on Diaspro's behalf, "I know what you meant, now get out, go, shoo, away with ye."

The couple shared a brief giggle, and said their goodbyes, finally leaving Diaspro and Hope in peace. Hope's eyes scanned over the medical monitoring equipment attached to her user's body, though she'd feel anything wrong before the machines did.

Hope was just about to open up a jelly cup for Diaspro to eat, when a soft knock came at the door.

"Come in," the Stand called, and a second later, Riven's head appeared around the door. "Hey Riven."

"Hey Hope, hey Di'. How're you feeling?" The young man stepped fully inside the room, leaving the door open behind him.

"Like I've had a stroke," Hope answered for Diaspro, "again."

Riven snorted, "well that answer should have been obvious."

"And yet," Hope fixed him with a snarky-face, but the specialist's gaze was fixed on Diaspro, watching for any movement in the unresponsive muscles of her face.

"Would this be a really bad time for a chat?" Riven reached forward and fixed a lock of the blonde's hair.

"...Helia? Come on in," Hope called to the boy loitering in the hallway. Helia stepped inside the room cautiously, as if waiting to be attacked.

"Hello Helia," he looked confused, gaze swaying back and forth between Hope, and Diaspro's prone form. "I'm Keep Hope Alive, you can call me Hope," he didn't look less confused, so she continued. "I'm Diaspro's Stand, I'm normally intangible and inaudible, but at the moment I'm Aligned with The Mirror and The Voice cards and... this makes no sense of the situation for you, does it?"

"No, it... it doesn't," he hunched in on himself slightly.

"Don't worry about it then," Hope said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "it just means I'm speaking for Diaspro, and as Diaspro for the most part, you can catch up on the rest later. Now, what would you like to talk about?" As if she didn't already have a _very_ good idea.

Helia's eye's flickered to Riven, who gave his friend a small, encouraging nod. "I wanted to apologise to you, for the way I acted, and for what I did to you."

His words sounded somewhat rehearsed, and Hope was suddenly flooded with a memory. Diaspro was recalling her own 'post screw up apology letter', as much as her brain was currently capable of it, at least.

Hope let the words hang in the air for a small while, before replying. "I'm still angry about what you did in the fight, how you tried to get inside my mind. But that said? I can kind of understand where you were coming from. In my early days, I tried to fix things too; of course, I tried to fix them in the... 'other' direction."

Helia looked between fairy and Stand, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"So while I retain the right to be pissed-as-hell? I do forgive you, I understand what it is to be lost, just... talk to us if you start to feel that way again? Please?"

"I... I will, thank you," Helia's smile was wobbly as he looked Hope in the eye, Diaspro's eyes having slipped closed.

Riven stepped to Helia's side, and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "see, told you Di' would be the best place to start."

"Yeah, yeah she was... but everyone else..."

"Will need more time," Riven finished for his friend, "so we'll go work on you, and you can finish your apologies when they've cooled down, and gotten some more distance from this mess."

Helia made a quite hum of agreement, eyes tracing over Diaspro's pale face. "I didn't want this, I just... I can't believe that I..."

Before Helia could slip too far into self-pity, Hope scoffed loudly. "What? You think you are responsible for this?" She gestured to the limp fairy in the hospital bed, "please, it was a magical-overload induced stroke... not the first one either, she'll be right. When depends on whether or not the loop crashes before the magical levels in her brain have settled enough for regeneration magic to help rather than hinder, but she'll be fine, won't even have any memory gaps."

Helia was looking a little lost again.

"Hey, just focus on getting yourself to a good mental space and we'll call it even, alright?" Helia nodded, still looking uncertain. "Great, now shoo, it's nap time."

"Thanks Hope," Riven gave her a smile, "later Di'." With small waves, the two boys left.

As the door swung closed, Hope frowned. Something was wrong.

"... Damnit Riven! Stop stealing my jelly cups!" Hope let out a heavy sigh, "every freaking time, I.. I should have seen it coming." (J.S.)

* * *

To most people, waking up with a beautiful girl in the room would be a blessing. For Helia, waking up with Darcy in the room was a reason to panic.

"Calm down, child, I'm not going to harm you." she said.

"And why should I believe you?!"

"Because if I wanted I'd have already done so."

Helia had to admit she had a point, Darcy never had any qualms to attack a sleeping opponent. Or their dreams, really. So he demanded: "What do you want, then?"

"Just tell you I won't take revenge."

"What?!"

"I know, I know... And I have all the reasons in the world to do you horrible things. It's just that I'm trying to give up on grudges, especially when I know how do you feel more than I care for. That madness' punishment enough, especially once you realize what you've done. That, and I feel a bit responsible, I should have seen it coming much earlier. I'm not going to forgive you anytime soon... But I have better things to do than making you pay. Like cuddling Musa, something I'm going to do right now."

Darcy made to leave, then stopped and said one last thing: "Almost forgot: what I said is only for myself, don't expect for a moment my sisters not to do you something horrible the moment you look the other side. They still hold a grudge against Riven for something that was actually my own fault..." (Lord Martiya)

* * *

*Knock knock knock*

The sound of knocking woke Diaspro from her light slumber. Beside her, her Stand Materialised. "Come in," Keep Hope Alive called.

"Hey Diaspro," The woman who entered smiled kindly at the blonde.

"Fand? I wasn't expecting you," Hope moved a chair to accommodate the Admin.

"Well, considering everything that just happened, I thought now might be the time to give you something." Fand winced a little guiltily, "I kept meaning to get this to you but... Admin stuffs?"

"Lay it on me," Hope said with an understanding laugh.

Fand handed Hope a certificate with only eight words. Hope blinked, looked up at the Admin and back down to the parchment. The words hadn't changed. Reading through Hope's eyes, Diaspro came to a slow realisation.

Diaspro Isis : Winx Branch Potential MLE Status : Negligible

Hope was flooded with Diaspro's disbelief and relief and hope and happiness and triumphant vindication and glee. "This, I'm..." "You're officially off the list," Fand grinned as her looper's emotions spilled into the empty air of the room.

Looking down to read the certificate again, a dark thought occurred, and Diaspro's joy soured in her mouth.

"Diaspro?" Fand reached for the girl's flesh hand.

"Sorry, I just... realised it felt like an unfair trade off, him for me." Hope didn't need to say his name for Fand to realise Diaspro was thinking of Helia. "He's on the List isn't he?"

"Yes, but Diaspro, you can't-"

"He can never find out," Hope whispered harshly, gazing intensely at the Admin, "if he found out..."

"It could destroy him," Fand finished the thought, a twinge of guilt slipping past her 'I've got this all under control' facade.

Diaspro's had twitched sluggishly as she tried to return her Admin's comforting hold. "This wasn't on you," Hope said for Diaspro, her hand coming to rest on Fand's shoulders.

"Yes it was, I'm the Admin-"

"That doesn't matter!" Hope didn't even bother to pretend to be sorry for raising her voice to talk over her Admin. Fand raising an eyebrow in challenge. "None of us caught this before it was almost too late-"

"I knew he had Setsuna syndrome." Hope stopped, waiting for Fand to continue, "I knew, Keech even sent me a notice, but I'd... I sent Helia to Setsuna herself, I thought I'd taken care of it, I didn't... I should have been more thorough."

"And what, make him feel villainised because no one trusted him? You are not the only one who failed here, but guess what I learned in all my time trying to be better?" Fand shook her head, passing on the guess. "You can't make some one learn if they don't want to learn. We could all have done everything right, and that would be no guarantee."

"'_We as Admin may not interfere with the Free Will of Loopers, we can influence them by giving them information or denying it, but their decisions will be, as they must be, their own_.'"

"But you still feel responsible," Fand nodded, "and nothing I say, nothing any of us say will make you feel any differently. We _Know_ you do your best for us."

"I just wish my best was better. Not just with Helia, I've got some bad news for Tecna, about her Pocket. She's free to tell you, but she should know first."

"I understand," with out warning, Hope pulled Fand into a hug. "We'll get through this."

"Why are you so good at this?"

"I spent a very long time on your side of this conversation," Pulling back Hope grabbed a small jelly cup from the bedside cabinet, "jelly cup?"

"Oooh, peach/mango!" Fand plastered a false and brittle grin across her mouth as she took the cup, "alright, time for me to finish the rounds!" Hope nodded her understanding and Fand vanished from the room. A second later Hope vanished as well, while Diaspro drifted back to sleep.

* * *

A soft knocking made Tecna look up from the patch of carpet she'd been staring at, just in time to see Fand appear from thin air.

"Fand," Tecna's voice carried both her pleasure at seeing the Admin, and her shock and sorrow over what had been happening.

"Tecna, where's Flora?" Fand joined Tecna on the couch.

"Bathroom, crying." Tecna made a motion towards the bathroom, and now that she was listening for it, Fand could her the Anchor's sobs. "She needed a bit of space," Tecna explained to the unasked question 'why aren't you comforting your wife?'

"I see."

"So, what brings you our way," Tecna asked, though she had a good idea.

"It's about your Pocket," Tecna sat up straight, her Pocket had not been what she was expecting the Admin to talk about, "unfortunately, I couldn't restore the contents of your Pocket."

Tecna leaned over to hug Fand."That's fine, I've gotten used to dealing with a fresh slate. Beside, the most important contents survived."

"Oh?"

Tecna took out the most important thing she had left, and then magicked it open.

Fand took a long look, and smiled.

"Your wedding photos. Every single one." She traced one of the photo's with a delicate touch.

"Yeah, it was these that allowed me to get back into tinkering." Tecna smiled at the memory.

"I'm glad that you're remembering the good times. I know it's going to be difficult for you can get past this."

"I want to clock him in his damn face," Tecna snarled, her body language moving from melancholy to anger in a split second.

Fand recoiled in surprise, "What?"

"You heard me."

"Tecna please don't, I understand your anger but... he needs to get better, if you hurt him right now... please, I can't condone this."

Tecna huffed in a grumpy way, slouching back in the couch to seethe.

"Tecna..." Fand began, before realising she didn't know what to say. But she didn't need to say anything, Tecna took in a deep breath and let it and her ire go.

"Sorry Fand, I just, I know you know how personal this is for all of us, it must be personal for you too, but..." she winced as something in the bathroom broke with a loud crack, "I think we all just need to be angry and hurt for a while, we can't switch our emotions off like they run on a light switch, we need to feel before we move on."

"I understand, and I'm sorry I didn't stop this from happening, it's my responsibility as your Admin to protect you from things like this and I failed." Tecna's hand was warm when it brushed across her back, a gesture of solidarity Tecna couldn't put into words.

'We're in this together, even if we don't see you here.'

The silence settled into comfortable and Fand stood, "I have to get back to my desk, but let me know if you need anything."

Tecna stood as well, "we will," and wrapped her arms around the Admin, "goodbye, Fand."

"See you later Tecna," Fand replied, before the duo pulled away from one another. Fand disappeared before Tecna's eyes, and a moment later Flora appeared around the corner, her eyes bloodshot and her face pale.

"I thought I heard Fand?" Flora's eyes swept the room, catching on the wedding album.

"You did, she just left," Tecna held out a hand for Flora, who took it and let herself be pulled onto the couch, into her wife's embrace. "She wanted to let me know she couldn't save anything from my Pocket."

"Oh honey," Flora stroked Tecna's cheek in sympathy. Tecna shook her head, nuzzling into her lover's shoulder, "it's fine, I have the important things." Eyeing the Albums, Flora hummed in agreement.

* * *

As Fand returned to Adminspace, she collapsed onto her desk.

"It was rough, wasn't it?" Miele spoke up.

"It was. I'm not sure what exactly I can do. Thank goodness Riven's getting involved with Helia."

"I see. Oh, you also got an email from Ihy."

"What is it?"

"Long and short of it, he's inviting you to drinks. His treat after what just happened."

"I'm going to need a stiff drink tonight."

(Jesse Lee & Jeanne)

* * *

Final Fantasy VI / Winx

Helia Awoke on top of a large bird that went Kwaa, kicked him off and took off a high speed leaving behind only one yellow feather. That was not a good way to start a Loop. He was not in his home loop which might be a good thing at the moment, but now was not the time to think about that. He could see some smoke in the distance, so he decided to go in that direction. He didn't have better idea of do as his mount, which his in-loop memories said was a chocobo, was gone.

The smoke was coming from small collection of stone buildings around a town square. A tiny little farming village that he could hopefully some information and supplies.

An old woman was doing something with some wool and two flat pieces of wood near the edge of town. She looked up at him as he drew near. "Now, I don't recognize you . Where did you come from, sonny?"

"I lost my chocobo."

"Went running off did it? Wel,l you can find dried meat and other supplies at the general store if you want to continue your travels and if you want to stay here that are a number of families who could use and extra set of hands." So Helia headed in the direction she pointed. He didn't have anything better to do.

"It's a beautiful town isn't it". said a voice "A little bit isolated, but with all the trouble in the world most people here realize that the peace is more important." He turned to see a green haired woman. "It doesn't protect them though, in baseline when Kefka gets ahold of the Warring Triad, the source of magic in this world. Ita and Alfres died when Kefka reshaped the land. That tore off the building on the southwestern part of the village. Coran took in their young son, but he died when Kefka turned his Light of Judgement on the town. Teledina and Nicilla also died from that. Teledina died instently, but it took Nicilla two days to die. By the time I made it here in baseline, there were only three building still standing and Duane and Katarin the oldest people left. The adults all put their children's lives before their own. Smilier things have happened in every other town, and city in this loop."

"Why doesn't someone stop this?"

"I try to every Loop. Only manage to succeed about half the time." She turned to face him, "There is nothing particularly special about baseline. It just happened first."

"Who are you?"

"Terra Branford, Welcome Warring Triad Loop, Helia."

"How do you know who I am?"

"Cloud told me. He is quite annoyed at you trying to hurt his mom." (Tovath)


	5. Chapter 38

38.1 – Jeanne Summers

Diaspro flung her hand out to catch the railing of the staircase as she missed a step. Breathing deeply, she waved off the guards' concerns, sinking onto the carpet covered stairs, head falling into her hands.

"Princess?" One of the guards stepped forwards, kneeling beside her carefully.

"I'm alright," Diaspro answered, her head coming up so she could look him in the eyes, "I'm just... I just feel really tired all of a sudden. Like too little jam scraped over too much toast."

The kneeling guard looked to his coworkers, the expression on his face making it clear he was out of his depth.

Diaspro smiled wearily, patting him on the shoulder.

"It's alright," she said softly, gripping the railing tightly to pull herself up, "it's alright."

Patting him on the shoulder again, Diaspro finished her descent, leaving a small group of very confused and somewhat concerned guards behind her.

-  
On a mountainside, somewhere in the Magical Dimension

Several days later

-  
A rhythmic sound spilled over the mountainside, trickling down across the rocky terrain, the tinging clash of metal on stone, over and over and over. A breeze picked up, winding its way up the slope, taking small measures of fine, dry dust as it went.

In her small nook in the rocks, Diaspro stopped working, leaning out into the open air to enjoy the limited coolness the wind brought with it, a nice change from the overbearing sun overhead.

Drawing a breath deep into her lungs, Diaspro turned back to her work site with a smile on her face, chipping away at the stone with her pickax once more, closing in on the pocket of topaz beneath the surface.

It felt like it had been forever since she'd done something like this, something for herself.

With a happy hum, she swapped her tools.

She really had needed this.

-  
"So Diaspro's really having a hermit loop?" Roxy frowned across the breakfast table, hoping Bloom was tell her otherwise, but the ginger fairy just nodded.

Stella flipped her hair over her shoulder and reached for the butter, "she sounded kinda down when she called."

"She did," Bloom agreed, "I think the whole 'mark of Valtor, possible retcon' thing is still wigging her out a bit. I know she talked about it with Cloud while she was there, and I know she said it doesn't matter, that she's moved way past it..."

"But she's probably still going to wonder," Flora finished for her.

"Yeah," Bloom said with a sigh, swing her legs free of the table, "well, whatever the case, we should get going if we want to make it to class on time."

The rest of the Winx made noises of agreement and left the table, Stella still munching on her final piece of toast. All around the room, the student body watched as the seven fairies walked away, lifting their legs awkwardly as they went so they wouldn't trip on the swimfins they were all inexplicably wearing, the flippers making loud smacking sounds with every step.

"It's a shame though," Roxy said, "I really wanted to see her complete a loop in flippers."

"Why?" Musa asked with a furrowed brow.

"Because," Roxy said, exasperated, "she always acts like she's allergic to being undignified, even when she's goofing off, and there is no possible way for her to save her dignity walking around in flippers."

Aisha gasped, "you don't think she called a mental health break loop just to avoid looking undignified in public do you?"

"I wouldn't put I past her," Tecna commented with a light hearted, affectionate tone.

Bloom shrugged and nodded sagely, "Diaspro is a sneaky, sneaky bitch who would do that."

"Don't worry Roxy," Flora said with a grin, "when she gets back from her break, we can begin operation: Death to Diaspro's Dignity."

The group giggled as they began coming up with the most outlandish things they could talk Diaspro into doing.

* * *

38.2 – Jeanne Summers

"You really don't celebrate Christmas?" Roxy frowned at the blonde.

"Not really," Diaspro confirmed, checking the labels of two different brands of pineapple slices, "I mean, I will if you or the others want to celebrate, but not under my own initiative."

"But the others do," Roxy picked up a jar of cherries to check the ingredients for preservatives. "Celebrate it, I mean."

"Yes, but that's a combination of Hub-Life, and you and Bloom celebrating it, and them getting into the habit." Diaspro put one of the tins back on the shelf, and added the other to their trolley. "Eraklyon doesn't have anything like Christmas, and unless Bloom invites me to celebrate, I just can't bring myself to care."

She wrinkled her nose as the eighteenth cover version of 'jingle bells' began playing over the store radio.

"And honestly, the further away I can get from carols? The better. Seriously! Playing twenty-three cover versions of each song, isn't going to disguise the fact there are only five songs on the play list."

"Well, since Bloom isn't Awake this loop, do you want to do something with me this Christmas?" Roxy smiled hopefully.

"What did you have in mind?"

The duo shrieked and giggled as they darted back and forth across the Antarctic snow fields, slipping now and then while the penguins give them a surprisingly good run around as the played with the fairies.

"Twenty-nine!" Diaspro called out as she place another Santa Hat on a penguin.

"Forty-seven!" Roxy countered.

"You'd better not be cheating!"

The Animal fairy only laughed in response.

* * *

38.3 – Jeanne Summers

Bloom frowned as she gaze towards the horizon.

Or... where the horizon should have been?

Because it was there, sort of, but there was definitely something wrong with it.

On autopilot, she sent a responding ping as she felt several go off.

A second later her Phone lit up with co-ordinates that made no sense, followed by a distance and direction from the tip of South Africa.

With her Speedix wings, Bloom made the trip in record time.

During the flight, she realised what had been wrong with the planet's horizon.

"Bloom!"

"Stella!"

"Oh my Fand Bloom, you will not believe what I've been doing!"

"HEY!" Looking around, the duo saw the rest of the Winx Club and the Trix standing on an Enormous Ice Wall which spread out in either direction as far as the eye could see, and seemed to start curving inwards.

As Stella and Bloom touched down, they heard a sharp whistle behind them. Turning, they spotted Daphne and Roxy flying rapidly their way. The group waited silently for their final two members to land before anyone spoke.

"Why is the Earth flat?"

"Is this Hub? Can Hub do this?"

"Trees are bushes!"

"I Helped fake a Solar Eclipse!"

"Okay but seriously, does this ice wall encircle the whole world?"

The various admissions and questions flew through the air for several minutes before finally subsiding. Looking around, Bloom spotted Diaspro sitting grumpily n the ice some metres away.

"Diaspro?"

The blonde looked up, frustrated tears in her eyes.

"Bloom... I'm a paid actor who works on an 'Australia set' pretending to be Australian because Australia Is. Not. Real. It's a hoax to cover up the mass murder of the convict populace allegedly sent to Australia."

Bloom opened her mouth to comfort her friend, but the blonde cut her off.

"And it gets worse!" The group waited to hear what could possibly be worse. "This. Is the Wrong. Ice Wall." It took the group a moment to realise what Diaspro was referring to.

"Diaspro," Bloom knelt preparing to console her friend – who still hadn't looped into Westeros – but Diaspro cut her off again.

"Oh, also-" she pointed to Icy.

"My sisters and I guard the wall so civilians don't climb it and fall off." Icy shook her head at the madness of the reality they'd found themselves in, "you all might want to look over the side."

The group darted to the edge.

"Huh, I was almost expecting a giant Turtle..." Techna eyed the empty space devoid of stars below.

"I say we leave," Musa said, steadying Daphne who'd developed a sudden bout of vertigo while looking over the edge.

"We could teleport out," Aisha said, "but what if our destination isn't there?"

"We could take a space ship," Flora suggested, then shuddered, "unless this reality has walls in space."

"Is space even real any more?" Roxy asked faintly.

"Crash the loop?" Darcy suggested.

"Seconded," Stormy said, putting up her hand to start a vote.

A moment later the vote was tallied.

"And let us never speak of this madness again," Flora decreed, before crashing the loop.

* * *

38.4 – Jeanne Summers  
{Crossover: Dead By Daylight}

Diaspro let out a soft sigh of disgust as she fossilised another attacker, this world was getting boring. Not to mention the physical discomfort which came with using her powers was getting old. As was the constant attempted murders.

"Alright," she said quietly, then louder, "alright, I'm done. I've been behaving myself really well, I haven't crashed a loop in quite a long time, but I do not care for this world and I. Am. Done."

The Entity didn't understand, the survivor, it's prey was not acting like prey. No matter how strongly it layered on the pain when it used its strange powers, the survivor seemed unaffected. The blonde survivor had something in its hand, a newspaper. The Entity didn't know where it had come from or what it was for, but it decided a rubber duck would be more suited.

The newspaper didn't change.

The survivor focused on rolling the newspaper into a roll, and when it looked up, it looked directly at the Entity. The Entity could feel the survivors gaze on its entire existence.

It didn't understand how such a thing was possible.

The survivor was-

THWACK

...?

Diaspro could feel the confusion radiating from the evil non-corporeal being, she didn't wait for it to figure out how she'd managed to hit it, she just hit it again.

"NO!" and again, "NAUGHTY!"

Now this was much more fun.

For about half an hour.

Diaspro sighed again, tossing her newspaper (comprised of 20% Fairy Dust for maximum evil embarrassment) back into her Pocket. With a quick apology to Fand for crashing a Loop, Diaspro stretched her powers out.

The facsimile of a world around her had been slapped together by someone who didn't truly understand how the 'world' worked, and thus was riddled with faults and flaws. Diaspro pressed against the nearest error, and let the world collapse on itself.

* * *

38.5 – Awesomedude17

Diaspro Awoke before she was supposed to learn that Sky was dating Bloom, and did her morning routine, right before looking out the window. She kept a neutral look on her face.

After closing the curtains, she entered her Pocket, and went to her weapon storage, looking over the various blades, neutral look still intact. After picking two rather large cleavers, she went to her wardrobe to get a special set of clothes and set it aside with the cleavers.

After going to meet Bloom for the first time this Loop, she went back, reentered her Pocket, and emerged, decked out. She took a deep breath, and exhaled, right before bringing out a massive war cry.

It would be from this day henceforth, the day Diaspro of Eraklyon executed the Great Emu Massacre, all because her engagement was called off, at least that was the official story.

* * *

38.6 – Awesomedude17

{Crossover: Hellsing}

Alucard was pleasantly surprised to see one of the vampires he sired appearing before him after such a long disappearance from his perspective.

"Alucard,"

"Flora, it has been a long time. I heard of your... issues involving your former boyfriend."

"I'm a little better now but I'm still not exactly going to forgive him now."

"Understandable. Betrayal is... quite touchy."

"I couldn't agree more. Where's Seras?"

"Not Awake, but last I saw her, she was talking to herself."

"Why?"

"To tell you about your new sister."

Flora widened her eyes and instantly came face to face with Alucard.

"What?"

"Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that yet, wasn't I?"

"Who is she?"

"Some persistently macabre woman named Yuri."

"Yuri..." Flora trailed off, hoping to get extra info.

"The computer program from some horror game mascaraing as a dating simulator. I'm sure you'll appreciate her well."

"Right. Make sure that Seras knows you told me, because now, I'm worried about my newly discovered sister."

"Just one more turning needed, nature fae. Now, prepare for... interesting times."

"Nazi vampires and a squeaky voiced werewolf. I know the drill."

Alucard chuckled as Flora left.

* * *

38.6.5 – Awesomedude17

{Crossover: Doki Doki Literature Club}

"Okay everyone, we got a bit of news regarding Yuri. Yuri?" Monika started off.

"Thank you. Sayori, Natsuki, I am now a fully fledged vampire now, thanks to Alucard of the Hellsing Organization."

Polite clapping came from the occupants...

Including an unfamiliar fourth clapper.

All eyes turned to the Latina by the door, looking like she found exactly what she was looking for.

"Alucard told me he was siring a new vampire, but he was incredibly vague about it."

"Who are you?" Monika demanded.

"Sorry. Musa noticed that you were acting abnormally so I asked my wife to temporarily transfer my mind here. I'm Flora, Anchor to Alfea and the magical realms, and Yuri, was it?"

"Yes?"

"Say hello to your big sister." Flora then quickly pulled Yuri into a big hug, leaving the purple haired woman both incredibly confused and incredibly flustered.

"Wait, sister?"

"Well... yeah. Seras more or less said that we were basically sisters after I became Alucard's ward."

"You think that Alucard or Seras would have let us know about you before Yuri went through with this." Sayori pointed out the obvious.

"To be fair, we needed some time off, but now we can go forward and leave the bad thing behind."

Monika looked at Flora with concern but decided against figuring out what.

She was a vampire far longer than Yuri was and having someone like that in a bad mood was not a good idea.

"I-I have a-a... sister?" Yuri squeaked out.

"Let my girlfriend go. You're making her catatonic." Natsuki deadpanned.

Flora quickly let go, moved back and laughed nervously.

"Oh. Heh... sorry."

"Right. Well hopefully we'll have the time to meet with you for real, Flora. Thanks for joining us today." Monika said.

"If you say so, Monika. Bye Sayori. Keep your world stable." Flora made a motion and then disappeared.

"Did she seriously think Sayori was the Anchor?" Natsuki asked.

"That happens more often than you'd expect, Nats." Sayori admitted.

* * *

38.1: Hermit Diaspro avoids Flippers – Jeanne Summers

38.2 Xmas with Roxy and Diaspro – Jeanne Summers

38.3 Winx VS Flat Earth – Jeanne Summers

38.4 {Dead By Daylight XO} – Jeanne Summers [... JFC Jeanne let someone else have a turn!]

38.5 Emu Virus – Awesomedude17

38.6 Family Reunions Part 1 {Hellsing XO} – Awesomedude17

38.6.5 Family Reunions Part 2 {DDLC XO} – Awesomedude17


End file.
